Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-22
ThE hARIIS OE ELK.
What - Western Hunter Hss Observed.
Cow Ilk and Calf.

What - Western Hunter Hs. Observed.
Cow Fix and Calf.
The habits II ELK d'e similar Ia those Of
deer. but they are much larger animals.
Cows that Rre in good condition dress
about $50 pounds, and fat bulls dress
about 400 pounds have heard Ot bulls
that dressed 600 pounds. but | never saw
so large an elk, and have seen hundreds
of them. Ia september the calves dress
from 50 to 100 pounds. Their meat Is ten
der, but tEStelr~S and veal-like. \ fat =
year-Old elk heit-r i probably the best
meat Un earth. nj least | think so. The
cows are good eating. but inferior To black
tailed deer The bulls are rather tough at
all times. and their meat i unworthy OF
being cooked during the rutting season
Shortly after the ruttIng season the
neCks of the full antlrred bulls begin to
swell and to grow hard. Then il requires
an exceedingly hard shooting rife TO drive
n ball through their neCks. | saw, while
on this hunt, four bulls shot low down on
the neck. and in no instance did the ball
pass through, and in no case did it strike
the neck bone. In all instances 1t lodged
under the skin on the opposite side from
the hunter We used 400 WinChesters,
the latter figures expressing the number
of grains Of powder burned behind the
ball This rifle will throw "A ball through
an elk or through bear from side to
side. but it will not carry through an elk ;
neck.
Bull elk drop their antlers in January
generally but this, suppose, depends on
the latitude in which they live. 4 bull Is
full antlered when he is 3 years old, then
there are six prongs on each antler. Sons
times the antlers sport" as corn does
and the horns take queer shapes. This is
n very serious disaster TO the elk, as he
cannot fight effectively with ''sported'
antlers. and he is driven out Of the band.
have set of antlers, "sports, which
have thirteen prongs on each horn. The
bull that wore these heavy, useless ant
lers spent the season in seclusion. He
could not fight,
One Of the most remarkable spectacles
in the pine clad highlands is to see full
antlered bull elk trOt at speed through Il
forest where the trees stand :" thickly
that horse has to slowly pick its way.
have frequently seen an elk buu, whose
spread Of antler- WAS at least four feet,
dash at full spe,-'I through belt of tim
ber where | could not follow on horse
back. because t-.y trees We're 100 close to
gether, and he did not strike a Tree with
his antlcrs.
When COW ,r. is killed her calf viii
run off 70 hide in the woods. But il will
frequently return I" the place where its
mother Vfell. AL it often pays for its
hungry search with its life. | shot q
fat COW one morning. and saw two calves
not far from her. When the rifle
cracked the calves disappeared. That
night / mentioned the fact of the calves
running of to my cOmrade. He said
If yUu will 20 there tomorrow morn
ing you will probably find both of the
calves shopping around in the woods
near the dead COW. They will be hungry
by that time, and they will return tC
their dead mother to get drink OF
milk The two calves will just make Out
our wagon load Of meat. You bad bet
ter 20 and Kill them"
went back the next morning. The two
beautiful. graceful calves Stood by theiI
dead mother trying to make her rise
Evidently they were hungry and impa
-icnt for their breakfast. They would
push her with their black noses or strike
her sharply with their furefeet II was g
pitiful sight, and | felt like murderer
and did not have the heart to Kill the
calves. drove them away, and when my
Comrade came up with the pack animals
,old him my rifle did not 20 off. which
vas true For four weeks | walked daily
in the forest. To-day hunrng deer. to
MORROW shooting grouse, the next day
shooting elk stUkied the habits 0f tht
game animals under the intelligent super
vision Of my C0mTade, who had lived
among them tor years, and whose living
In great measure, depended ON his being
able 10 kill game at the proper season
We shot many animals. The hunt was
almost slaughter But We lost no meat
/ none was used to bait bears, none thrown
away. Every pound that we did not eat
was carefully saved and sold The meat
was packed on horses backs for from fiv,
to ten miles through dense green timber
over burned lands and across fallen tim
Der. From there il was hauled TO Lara
mie, Fort Collins and Rawlings for sale
and the money obtained for it was eX
| pended for provisions. The trails OF
which We entered or left the elk rang,
were purposely blind trails, and unknown
TO other persOns.-Cor. New York sun.